Shoe-heel



J. A. ZAHN.

SHOE HEEL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13, 1920.

389,087. Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. ZAHN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SHOE-HEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

Application filed February 13,1920. Serial No. 358,459.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JosnrH A. ZAHN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Shoe- Heels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention belongs to that "class of shoe heels, known to the trade as French heels, and are made of wood or fiber 01' some hard substance other than leather, but are usually covered with a facing of leather to enhance the appearance of the shoe.

I will apply the description of my heel herein to one made of wood, and such a heel as illustrated in the drawing, and is usually made from one piece of wood.

Heels of this character, on account of their being made of wood, and from one piece, and by reason of their peculiar configuration and contour, often crack and break, and during any period of the life of the shoe, if the wearer struck or kicked the heel against an obstruction, or came in contact with a raised surface and the heel strikes or hits at certain angles, or at certain points where it is the weakest, it will often crack and break and its repair is very costly By this unexpected breakage the heel often yields and throws the foot out of its natural gait and the ankle or foot is often wrenched,'sprained or otherwise injured.

The object of my invention is to obviate these defects in heels of this character, and cut the breakage of such heels to a minimum, and practically eliminate such breakage and defects.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a metal spider or multiple armed device, which is incorporated into the heel and partly into the shoe shank and at the periphery of the heel, and so that shook, strains and impacts against the heelwill be absorbed or broken so that their violence is modified and thrown off by the resistance of the heel, thus braced and bound. Its features and advantages will readily become apparent from the following specification.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of part of a shoe, partly broken away, the heel however, being shown in full, the dotted lines of the figure showing the position occupied breast of the heel 21and are by my shoe heel brace and supporting dev1ce.

Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section of a partly broken away shoe, the heel being shown in its entirety, my device also shown in section. I

. Fig. 3, is a plan view of the inside part of the shoe at the heel, looking down upon part of my device in position, the section being on line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 4, is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking upwardly, parts removed to show construction, and

F1g. 5 is an isometric view of my device.

In the drawing I show part of the body of the shoe and mark it 1, the heel is marked 2 and the insole 3, and 4 is part of the outer sole at the shank of the shoe; the heel 15 attached to the insole at line 5, in an desired manner. is usually ber 6.

The device which forms a brace and support for the heel as I have evolved in my invention, consists of a body part 7, cut, formed or slit as shown, into arms 8 and 9,

placed a lift of leather or rubthese two arms 8 and 9 each bent or curved two arms 11); these arms start approximately at point 20 of the body part 7, the arm 10 passes'along and rests on the upper face of the heel until it reaches the point 15, where it turns down and passes through the heel, emerging at the point 16, from which point, to the bottom of the heel on to the tread 6, it passes along the outside of the heel. The part passing through the heel is marked 17, and the part which passes along the outside of the back part of the heel is marked 18, and said part 18 is held in place by nail 19.

The other two arms 11, 11, are bent down to form lines which describe those of the spaced as shown,

On the bottom of the heelbeing held in position against the heel by tacks 21. At the point 20 where the arms 10 and 11, 11, start they are bent downwardly as shown to form and start their proper course, and at this point the upper part of the face of the heel 2, is cut away as shown at 22 in Fig. 4.

At the points where the part 18 of arm 10 and the arms 11, 11, fit the face surface of the heel 2, the heel is grooved so that said parts 18 and 11, 11, will lie flush with the outer face surface of said heel, so that the heel can be properly covered with leather for finishing the shoe.

The body part 7, forms a hinge or union element for the various arms and helps to strengthen the shoe at the shank, and is tacked to insole 3 at point 7 In Fig. 4, the thin part of the heel is marked 23, and 24 is slot through which part 17 of arm 10 passes down through the heel.

In Fig. 4, the bands 11, 11, are removedto show the groove 30, 30 into which they fit and 30 is the space between said grooves.

All the parts forming my heel support and brace are preferably made from one piece of material and are therefore integral; they yield and bend at any point which is placed under strain in walking and are therefore always in an approximately normal position.

It will be seen that the heel is braced against breakage and against endwise or lateral strains or impacts. If the heel is hit or knocked at any point, the heel will not break or crack on account of the resistance of the arms, which bind it and safeguard the heel, under conditions which would ordinarily break or crack it.

The heel is stiffened, the shank made more firm, the heel part of the shoe holds its symmetry, accidents are practically impossible and assurance is given to the wearer of the shoes, and repair of heel is cut to a minimum.

By using my device the heel is also connected to the shoe more permanently at the shank, forming a better foot support.

It will be obvious that by the use of my invention a heel of great utility is formed.

The formation of the arms may be changed to fit heels of varying contour and I claim any modifications which fall within the scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shoe comprising an inner sole and a heel, said heel having a body part, arms extending therefrom up through the inner sole and lying on said inner sole, arms depend-.

ing from said body part, one arm passing partly along the upper surface of said heel and then extending partly through the heel, partly over the back face thereof, and two arms extending longitudinally over the breast of the heel and connected to the innersole and heel against displacement.

2.-A shoe of the character described, an inner sole andaheel therefor, and a multiplicity of arms suitably combined, said arms beginning at a point near the inner upper heel edge between the top of the heel and the inner sole, and extending up through the inner sole to lie on the heel part of said inner sole and extending down through the heel and onto the back face and breastof the hee 3. A shoe of the character described, comprising an inner sole and heel, and a number of arms, said arms extending into and onto the inner sole, and extending partly through the heel and over the outer face of said heel to anchor the heel to the sole and brace it against breaking.

4. shoe of the character described, comprising an inner sole, and metal bands suitably united, connecting the heel with the inner sole, from the inside thereof, and extending down. partly through the heel and partly over the face thereof.

5. A shoe heel of the character described, a heel therefor, and metal bands extending from the inside of the shoe at said heel, down to and over the face of the heel, at the back part and breast thereof, to bind the same against breakage. I

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature at Cincinnati, Ohio, this 9th day of February, 1920.

J OSEPH A. ZAHN. 

